Deer Demon

Over ten li away on Baixi Mountain, Zhou Hong had been dozing off when he suddenly woke with a start. He looked around in a daze, only to see Lady Lin sitting beside him, completely absentminded, having entirely forgotten the needlework in her hands.

"Did something happen?" Zhou Hong asked, puzzled.

Lady Lin shook her head. "No," she said softly. "But for some reason, my heart feels empty, as if I've lost something."

Just then, a maidservant hurried inside. She bowed her head respectfully and said, "Eldest Master, Eldest Madam, the Second Young Madam has come to pay her respects."

The couple exchanged a glance, both seeing the confusion in the other's eyes.

Zhou Hong was baffled. His second son's wife had always been an eccentric recluse. She rarely came to pay her respects on ordinary days, preferring to hole up in her small courtyard. Why would she take the initiative to visit today?

Lady Lin mused for a moment. Although Mu Lushi's nature was withdrawn and she lacked the warmth of the eldest son's two wives, she was still their daughter-in-law. It would not do to be too biased.

"Let her in."

The maidservant had barely stepped out for a few breaths when a woman frantically rushed inside. She looked anxiously at Zhou Hong and his wife. "Where did my husband go?"

A trace of displeasure immediately flickered in Zhou Hong's eyes. She had been married into their family for over half a year, yet Mu Lushi still acted as if she had no upbringing, incapable of grasping even the most basic respect for her elders.

Lady Lin, however, had grown somewhat accustomed to Mu Lushi's temperament. She knew that despite her rashness and lack of etiquette, the girl had a very kind heart. Perhaps it was simply because she had grown up deep in the mountains, leaving her ignorant of human worldly affairs.

Seeing Mu Lushi's slightly bulging belly softened her further, bringing a touch of joy to her heart.

"Changxi went east with Changhe and the others."

Upon hearing this, all the spirit seemed to drain out of Mu Lushi. Looking entirely lost, she turned and walked out, disregarding everything else.

"This... look at her, is this proper?"

Witnessing this total lack of decorum, Zhou Hong felt his anger rise.

"Enough. She is carrying Changxi's flesh and blood. Be a little more understanding," Lady Lin soothed him.

Mu Lushi walked outside in a daze, muttering to herself, "Zhou Lang, are you alright?"

She was originally nothing but a small deer in the mountains. By sheer fortune, she had consumed a strange fruit that allowed her to take human form. In terms of cultivation, she was likely just an unranked minor demon, yet she possessed the transformation ability of a Foundation Establishment great demon. This was exactly why Zhou Ping could not sense even the slightest trace of demonic aura from her.

After her transformation, she had been as frail as a mortal, finding herself hunted by wild beasts in the mountains. Had she not encountered Zhou Changxi, who was out hunting at the time, she would have died under a predator's fangs.

Pure, naive, and entirely ignorant of the world, she naturally grew attached to the living being who protected her, eventually following Zhou Changxi back to his home.

But once she arrived at the Zhou family, she discovered several incredibly powerful presences within the estate. Terrified, she hid in her room all day, too frightened to wander about.

And just moments ago, the faint trace of aura she had secretly left on Zhou Changxi had vanished. How could she not be terrified that something terrible had befallen him?

"Zhou Lang, you must be safe," Mu Lushi prayed silently, gently stroking her belly.

Meanwhile, Zhou Changhe had finally settled the matters at Niu Family Village. Leaving Zhou Hu behind to maintain order, he led over twenty men and rushed toward Zhou Changxi's position. Along the way, they crossed paths with Zhou Minghu and his party.

"Minghu, has there been any news from Changxi?" Zhou Changhe asked.

Zhou Minghu shook his head. "I only just received word myself. We are rushing there now."

Elsewhere, Wang Feng and Niu Zhou were advancing steadily. Although it had taken them over a day to secure a single village, they were methodical. Wherever they went, they negotiated with the local wealthy families, distributed grain, set up porridge kitchens to aid the refugees, and organized labor to repair the village and its farmlands.

The foundation had already been laid. As long as they proceeded step by step, nothing would go wrong.

"Ah, I truly fear something has gone terribly wrong," Zhou Changhe sighed. "Tell me, what kind of family provides disaster relief by allowing their men to rob, slaughter, and pillage? It is utter madness!"

Zhou Minghu listened in silence, but suddenly his brows furrowed deeply. He sniffed the air carefully, then shouted, "Wait. Why is there a scent of burning?"

Zhou Changhe took a sharp breath, and his expression subtly shifted.

The closer they moved in that direction, the thicker the acrid stench of burning became!

"Not good! Something has happened to Changxi!"

They sprinted toward the estate at top speed. As they drew near, flakes of grey ash drifted down from the sky. Thick, curling pillars of black smoke dissipated into the heavens, leading them to a ruined compound still engulfed in unextinguished flames.

"Changxi!"

Zhou Changhe frantically charged into the ruins. Entirely ignoring the scorching waves of heat, he searched through the rubble like a madman.

Zhou Minghu and the rest carefully picked their way into the smoldering compound. Everywhere they looked, they saw charred, blackened corpses. A sickeningly faint smell of roasted flesh permeated the air!

Suddenly, Zhou Minghu recognized a familiar pattern clinging to one of the corpses. It was the weave of Sun Mingcheng's robes. Driven by his deep-seated hatred for the Wang, Sun, and Qian families, he had memorized every detail of their key figures.

But now... Sun Mingcheng was dead?

He inspected the scraps of clothing on the surrounding corpses and indeed found traces belonging to other members of the Sun family.

A hollow, conflicted feeling washed over him. He had not been the one to strike down his enemies, yet here he was, staring at their mangled corpses. What kind of twisted fate was this?

"Eldest Young Master... this... here..."

The terrified, trembling voice of a guard rang out from a distance.

Zhou Changhe was still frantically digging through the ruins, his robes stained black with soot and ash, his eyes completely bloodshot. Even if he had never been intimately close with Changxi or Chang'an, they were still his own brothers!

Hearing the cry, he bolted toward the guard like a desperate wild beast.

There, he saw a horrifying mass of pulverized flesh-a bloody mass of meat mud that had been partially cooked by the flames, mixed with the torn fragments of his brother's robes. All strength drained from his body, and he collapsed heavily to his knees.

"Changxi! Changxi!"

Zhou Minghu walked over as well. Looking down at the heap of mangled flesh and blood, his eyes turned freezing cold. A faint Pressure emanated from his body, forcing the surrounding men to stumble backward in fear.

"Who did this? Who dared slaughter my brother with such cruelty!"

Killing a man was merely letting his head fall to the earth. But to hack him into pieces and pulverize him into a muddy pulp? What kind of terrifying, inhumane brutality was this? How could he not be enraged?

He immediately whirled toward the attendants. "Search the area! Uncover who did this, and the Zhou family will guarantee you and your descendants three generations of wealth and glory!"

The servants and guards' eyes lit up. They immediately swarmed into the ruins, eagerly hunting for any remaining clues or tracks.

Zhou Changhe scooped up the muddy, bloody flesh with both hands, clutching it to his chest as he wailed in absolute agony.

Only after a long time did he barely manage to rein in his grief. His eyes wept tears of blood. Cradling his brother's mangled remains against his heart, he threw his head back and let out a hysterical, enraged roar, "Changxi, rest in peace! Your older brother will avenge you!"

"I will tear those bastards into ten thousand pieces and send them down to accompany you in death!"

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